Vanishing Act by Liz Johnson

Nate reached the large opening of the garage door.
    â€œHi there,” he said, hands still in the pockets of his jeans and shoulder leaning on the doorframe.
    â€œYour car’s all done,” she hurried to assure him.
    â€œNo rush.” He looked around. “Where’s Gretchen? Did she hide when she saw me coming?”
    Danielle chuckled. “Not quite.” Gretchen had actually formed a bit of a crush on Nate, and hadn’t stopped talking about him since Danielle started working on his car. She would be sad she’d missed his visit. “She’s at a late lunch.”
    â€œHmm.”
    Just then Ivey returned, and Danielle jumped in surprise. She’d forgotten that the other woman was even there.
    â€œThanks so much, Dan—” Ivey’s words broke off as she rounded the building and saw them both standing there. “Oh, hi, Nate. Didn’t know you’d be here today.”
    â€œJust picking up my car. Cracked transmission pan.”
    Ivey looked clueless and said to Danielle, “Well, I guess I should get going and let you get back to work. Thanks again for the lesson—I really appreciate it.”
    â€œNo problem. See you tomorrow at class.” Danielle waved at the older woman as she climbed into her blacktwo-door coupe and kicked up dust and rocks as she took off out of the gravel parking area. Nodding toward the door that connected the garage to the office, Danielle indicated that they should go inside. “Your paperwork and keys are at the desk.”
    Nate followed behind her, his steps steady and even on the tile. After she retrieved his key, and he paid the bill, she walked him back to his car.
    â€œYou’re all set, Nate.”
    â€œThanks for everything,” he said, the corner of his mouth quirked into a grin.
    â€œNo problem.” She ran suddenly damp palms over the heavy blue fabric covering her hips. Why did this man have the ability to instantly make her palms sweat. With a chill, she realized she’d only felt this kind of reaction once before—on that terrifying night when her father was murdered. Could she be in danger from Nate? Was her body trying to warn her that he wasn’t safe?
    Or was it just a reaction to his smile and handsome face?
    She’d felt uneasy around other men before, and this wasn’t the same. He’d never given her a reason to think she wasn’t safe with him. But maybe he was a good actor. Maybe her heart was getting too involved, which was bound to end badly. Hadn’t she proven that with her father?
    It all boiled down to the fact that she knew she could trust him. But how did she know it so completely?
    Shoving her wayward thoughts aside when she realized she’d been staring intently at him, she motioned to his car. But he didn’t take the hint. “So I’ve been thinking I should get out and meet more people in town. You know, more than just the people in class. Any suggestions where I should go to get more connected with people our age?” His deep voice was soft, but there was still a commandingpresence to him—something in the way he stood, broad shoulders perfectly straight, feet shoulder-width apart. His muscles looked loose, yet as if he could move quickly at a moment’s notice.
    He took a step toward her, and although there was still a respectable amount of space between them, she shuffled back, falling into the car. “Danielle? You okay?” he asked, grabbing for her elbow to steady her. But the zing shooting up her arm only served to make her knees knock together.
    â€œYes, fine. Just clumsy, I guess.” She tried to laugh it off, but it came out sounding like a choked sob. She searched his blue-gray eyes with her own and saw kindness and concern there. The skin at the corners of his eyes wrinkled, as though he was smiling, but his lips stayed in a straight line.
    She’d felt safe here—until he’d come into town. Was